News On Dehydrated Potato Products from the United States

January 16, 2008

North American Foods Potato flake plant in Grand Forks closing

Workers at North American Foods' dehydrated potato flake processing plant have been told that the operation will be closed March 15.The company, previously RDO Foods Co., employs about 125 people at the plant.Officials at the R.D. Offutt Co. corporate...

November 25, 2007

Washington potato growers celebrate a heck of a harvest

Washington potato farmers harvested more than 5.1 million tons of potatoes in 2007, the state's second-largest spud harvest in history. Chris Voigt, executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission, said the state's potato farmers dug up ...

November 20, 2007

Are chips the answer to world hunger?

Solanum tuberosum – the potato - will have its year in 2008. The UN is trying to wean developing countries off rice and persuade them to adopt the potato as a staple food. Potatoes beat rice on most measures. They need less water and less space to prod...

November 12, 2007

Idaho Potato Commission wants potatoes on food aid list

Potatoes aren't on the list developing nations can order as part of the U.S. food aid program, and Frank Muir, president and chief executive officer of the Idaho Potato Commission, wants to change that.It's something of a Catch-22 situation. Potatoes c...

November 09, 2007

NASS: US Potato harvest fall 2007

Production of fall potatoes for 2007 is forecast at 408 million cwt, up 2 percent from last year. Area harvested, at 997,800 acres, is virtually unchanged from the July estimate but 2 percent above last year.The average yield is forecast at 409 cwt pe...

October 26, 2007

Washington potato harvest could break last year's record of $562M

The deal: The value of the state's potato crop hit a record $562 million last year and could beat that record for the just-harvested 2007 crop. This year and last, the state's potato growers seem to be hitting the marks perfectly in terms of global ...

October 12, 2007

Wide variation in quality Idaho spuds

Keith Esplin, executive director of Potato Growers of Idaho, on this years crop: “I think as far as the crop, growers are pleased with what they found,” he said. “Yield and quality are better than thought.”Esplin said growers were expecting ...

September 28, 2007

Idaho Potato Harvest Indicates Yield Decrease (video)

Harvest time is here and Idaho farmers are busy digging up their fields. But the hot weather we saw this summer has taken a toll on the local crop. The fields are pretty much dug up, with a few stragglers left behind. While farms say the quality o...

September 27, 2007

Conagra announces dividend increase and share repurchase

Today the board of directors of ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE:CAG) announced two items related to the company's capital allocation program: The quarterly dividend has been raised to $0.19 per common share. This new rate will start with the Dec. 3, 2007...

September 26, 2007

US potato export tops one billion

For the marketing year July 2006 - June 2007 (MY07), the United States Potato Board (USPB) reports total US potato exports were valued at a record $1,000,252,000. On a volume basis, total exports were 1,108,391 metric tons (MT). This represents an inc...

August 31, 2007

Potato Industry contributes 6.7 billion to the Idaho Economy

Spuds are no longer the top agricultural commodity in Idaho as measured by annual cash receipts. Potatoes yielded that position to the dairy industry several years ago. But spuds are still a huge part of Idaho's agricultural economy, according to a Un...

July 26, 2007

RD Offutt, United II Potato Growers of Idaho and Idahoan Foods join forces

RD Offutt Company and United II Potato Growers of Idaho, Inc. announce the formation of North American Foods, LLC. The new company, resulting from the contribution of certain assets of the companies unites the industry’s top talent from field to shelf...

May 29, 2007

Loren Kimura Named President, CEO of Basic American Foods

Loren Kimura has been named President and CEO of Basic American Foods, one of the world’s leading suppliers of convenience foods. A 21-year veteran of the company, Kimura was previously Vice President, Sales. Well-known in the industry, Kimura’s exten...